Concert
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: So many people have shown their love for Ladybug through song. This time, it's Chat Noir's turn.


**Day 1 – Concert  
**

"Chat, really, what's this surprise you have for me?" Ladybug called as she followed him across rooftop after rooftop. "I have a test to study for tonight!"

"I purr-omise it won't take long," he called back, giving her a cheeky grin when she shook her head at him. She may pretend to hate his puns, but he saw those soft smiles she gave him when she thought he wasn't looking! Besides, even if she _was_ as busy as she claimed, right now, his lady was indulging him, so he needed to take advantage of it.

With a deep breath, he made his last big leap and dove into his own darkened window in the Agreste Manor.

"CHAT!" he heard her hiss when she realized where he'd gone. He switched on the lights and turned to see her perched on the windowsill, motioning frantically for him to come out of there. "Chat Noir, what are you doing?!"

"Relax, Bugaboo," he said easily. "Mr. Agreste is in Milan this week, and I asked Adrien if I could borrow his room for a little bit while he was out… visiting a friend." He gave her a confident grin.

"Adrien's visiting a friend? –Oh, never mind, that doesn't mean we should sneak into his—" Ladybug's voice trailed off when he pushed the button to raise the piano in the center of the room, dimming the lights to half at the same time. She looked around uncertainly, surely noticing the romantic atmosphere that he'd been going for. "Chat…."

"My dearest Ladybug," he said, giving her a bow as he slipped into a formal accent. "It has come to my attention that _the most_ lovely lady in all of Paris has had several songs dedicated to her, written for her, and performed in her honor, often by famous, talented musicians visiting our lovely city. But none—_none_, I say—of these songs have been performed by yours truly, the very first cat whose heart you stole. With your permission," he said, taking her hand and bending over it, "I would like to amend that egregious error." He paused just above it, not daring to kiss it just yet, and watched her for permission.

_Was she blushing? He hoped she was blushing and it wasn't just a trick of the light!_

"Chat…," she whined, clearly torn.

"Just one song, my lady?" he pleaded. "Then I'll leave you alone for the rest of the night!"

She sighed, the unsure look on her face slowly twisting into a reluctant smile. "You really play the piano?"

"Of course," he said, releasing her hand so he could stride over to the bench and sit down. "I think you'll find I play quite well." He waggled his fingers at her. "I even wrote the song myself."

"And you're sure we won't be waking anyone up?"

"As sure as the sun rises," he promised. (It was 11, which meant that his bodyguard was still awake in the other room, watching anime with his headphones on, expecting Adrien to be in his room like a good little boy. Which, as it happens, he _was_.)

"Fine. Just one song," she finally said, crossing the room to stand behind him.

He felt a thrill go through him. _Finally! _Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale had had their own odes to Ladybug; he had to make sure his was as good as theirs. Or better!

With a deep breath, he started playing the tune he'd worked on for months. Luka had helped him 'find the melody in his soul,' Nino had offered to mix it with a sick beat, and even Nathalie had allowed him to use his precious practice time to work on it (none of them knew who it was for, though). He couldn't afford to mess this up!

He occasionally slipped on the keys, but in his defense, he wasn't used to having claws when playing. He'd included little nods to Jagged, Clara, and even that ridiculous phrase Princess Fragrance had made him sing, all woven into the melody. He closed his eyes to let the music flow through him, losing himself in it until he crescendoed into the finale, cheerful and triumphant, and was happy when those final notes rang true.

He took a deep breath, pleased with himself. _That had been good._

Wait. Ladybug was silent. She wasn't clapping.

_Why wasn't she clapping?!_

Did she hate it?! Had she left?!

He quickly looked around and spotted Ladybug standing right where she'd been when he started the piece; a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Uhh, my lady?" he called tentatively.

She blinked several times, then looked at him like she was coming out of a trance.

"Chat… you—you wrote that?" she asked, her voice nearly a whisper. "For me?"

"Um, yeah?"

_What should I do? What should I do?!_ he wondered frantically. This was not the response he'd been expecting! He'd thought at most she'd applaud him, then quickly pull him out of the room before they could be arrested for trespassing. Best case scenario would be to get a quick peck on the cheek for his troubles!

But this! Ladybug looked like her mind had been blown—and he couldn't tell from her expression whether it was a good thing or a bad thing!

"Did you… like it?" he finally asked, unable to bear the suspense anymore.

"Did I…," Ladybug's expression cleared and, to his delight, she beamed at him and came over to sit with him on the bench. "Chat, that was _beautiful!_ I had no idea you could play, much less that well!" He blushed at the praise. "And you wrote it yourself?! That's amazing!"

"Well," he said, ducking his head modestly, "only the best for my lady."

"Thank you so much, kitty," she gushed, giving him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek.

Ok, this… this was better than Best Case Scenario. He was gonna be high on serotonin for _days_.

"Wow, how long did it take for you to write that?" she asked, her fingers skimming the keys of the piano.

_I have lost count of the number of hours I spent focused on your beauty and kindness, nights spent wishing I had just a smidge of your charisma and courage, your raw power and utter selflessness. Months of watching that fire that lives inside you and shines through every little thing you do…._

"Ehh, a while," he said, shrugging.

"Well, thank you," she said again. "I—I just—I don't…. Thank you."

Chat smiled. His lady looked a little overwhelmed.

"You're welcome, Bug."

She glanced up at him and he felt his heart skip a beat. She really _was_ blushing!

"We should get going," she whispered.

"Aww," he couldn't help but tease her, because even though he was thrilled she'd enjoyed it and loved the sight of her blushing on the seat next to him, there was a part of him that was terrified of losing their easy comradery, "you mean you don't have a song prepared to woo me with in return?" He gave her a playful pout.

"Ha ha, kitty," she said, lightly nudging his shoulder. Then her soft smile got a mischievous gleam. "Actually," she said, setting her hands on the keys again, "I do have _one_ song for you."

"Really?!" Chat said, lighting up. _Was she really going to play for him?!_

_She _was_! Ladybug was playing his piano!_

It was a simple tune, light and cute and fun and—it sounded vaguely familiar. Chat frowned as he struggled to place it. He'd heard it somewhere before, he was sure of it!

_What—_

A lightbulb went off in his head and he scowled and turned to glare at Ladybug, even though inside he was laughing his head off at her teasing joke. She giggled at him and kept playing.

"Really?" he deadpanned. "Neko Funjatta?"

"I stepped on a cat," Ladybug sang as she gave him a shit-eating grin.

"I'll give you something to step on!" he growled, chasing after her when she gave a little squeak and leapt away from the piano, diving for the window. He let her escape just enough to follow her into the night, both of them laughing and tickling each other when she finally let him catch her.


End file.
